Letter to the Editor – Corneliu Kirjan of Cornwall Ontario Not Happy with Harper Government’s Messaging – December 16, 2011

Since the May 2nd election, the government has never stopped lying to the population and manipulating Canadian public opinion. With an army of more than 1500 «communicators» spread out into all the departments and about 100 others in the PM’s Office, the government has flooded the media and citizens’ mailboxes with messages aiming to create an image of Canada where, thanks to the Alliance-Reform policies, everything is fine and the wellbeing of the population is constantly improving. The population, anesthetised by an economic crisis that is far from over and paralysed by the fear of an uncertain future, is assimilating the government’s propaganda without reacting.

If the lie is “made in Canada”, the truth comes from abroad, from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In a study released December 5, the OECD shows the true face of Canada based on scientific data.

Canada is the developed country where income inequalities have increased the most in recent years. Among the factors: the reduction of work time and especially fiscal policies and cuts in social spending and public services. “Reforming tax and benefit policies is the most direct and powerful instrument for increasing redistributive effects.” The OECD recommends even higher taxes on wealthy people. It is the opposite of the Alliance-Reform government of Canada’s fiscal policy that continues to lower corporate taxes while cutting services to citizens.

Two other statistics highlight even more the deterioration of the situation in Canada under the current government. Between 2005 and 2007, social spending fell to 16.9% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), much below the OECD average (19.2%). The poverty rate after taxes and transfers increased from 18.8% in 2005 to 19.4% in 2010, higher than the OECD average (17.7%)

Our MP, Guy Lauzon, must explain to his constituents why the government is lying to the people and what he will do to rectify the situation.

(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)